Alec Palao

Alejandro "Alec" Palao (born 1962) is a British musician, music historian, writer, and reissue producer. In addition to his musical output with groups like the Sting-rays, the Sneetches, and Mushroom, his works include hundreds of production credits and liner notes on important compilations of vintage rock and soul from Ace Records, Rhino Records, and others, plus a wide array of music-related print and film credits. Palao is unusual in that he normally supervises each aspect of the projects he compiles, including audio transfers and restoration as well as research and liner notes. Honors include six Grammy Award nominations for historical albums and liner notes.

Early life Born "just as 'Love Me Do' was entering the UK charts in late 1962",

Career After graduating from the University of London in 1985, Palao relocated to California in 1988. In 2007, he was one of four recipients of the Greg Shaw Award for Outstanding Contributions to Popular Culture Preservation. He was the "producer, writer, and principal researcher" on the 2014 film The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard.

As "one of the Bay Area's most notable collectors of 1960s rock and roll and soul music", he said in a 2019 interview, "My priority is turning people on to music, especially if they have never heard it before." Another interviewer called him "internationally recognized as one of the true champions of the American garage band movement".

He has said of his compilation efforts, "... my predilection is always to ferret out stuff that either hasn't been out before ... or can stand a major upgrade. I prefer to rehabilitate rather than regurgitate." He also added, "I haven't done much writing outside of liner notes .... Rather than be a commentator, I like to be the person whose work gets commented on."

Grammy Awards

Published works

Selected production credits Producer credits on major releases:

Various: GS I Love You: Japanese Garage Bands of the 1960s (Big Beat CDWIKD 159, 1996) The Zombies: Zombie Heaven (Big Beat Records ZOMBOX 7, 1997) The Ace of Cups: It's Bad For You But Buy It (Big Beat CDWIKD 236, 2003) Darondo: Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions (BGP CDBGPD 233, 2011) Sylvie Vartan: en anglais . . . et en américaine (Ace CDCHD 1489, 2016) Various: Making Time: A Shel Talmy Production (Ace CDCHD 1497, 2017) Various: An A-Square Compilation (Third Man TMR-496, 2018) Dyke & The Blazers: Down On Funky Broadway: Phoenix 1966-67 / I Got a Message: Hollywood 1968-70 (Craft Recordings CR00322 / CR00323, 2021) The Beau Brummels: Turn Around: The Complete Recordings 1964-70 (Now Sounds QCRNOWBX58, 2021) The Sons of Adam: Saturday's Sons: The Complete Recordings 1964-1966 (High Moon CDHMR 13X, 2022)

Selected liner notes

See Grammy Awards section for nominated entries.

Dan Hicks: Early Muses (Big Beat Records 183, 1998) Creedence Clearwater Revival: Box Set (Fantasy 5CCRCD-4434-2, 2001) Various: Love That Louie: The 'Louie Louie' Files (Ace Records CSCHD 844, 2002) The Gosdin Brothers: Sounds of Goodbye (Big Beat CDWIKD 235, 2003) The Sonics: Psycho-Sonic (Big Beat CDWIKD 115, 2003) Various: Hollywood Maverick: The Gary S. Paxton Story (Ace CDCHD 1073, 2006) Dan Penn: The Fame Recordings (Ace CDCHD 1353, 2012) Various: Lenny Kaye Presents Lightning Striking (Ace CDTOP2 1606, 2021) David Bowie: The Shel Talmy Recordings (Parlophone/Warner, 2026)

Articles and essays Selected works from books, magazines, and music publications:

Film Interview: A Life in the Death of Joe Meek (2013) Producer: The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard (2014) Interview: On the Sly: In Search of the Family Stone (2017)

Discography Palao's recordings include singles, EPs, and albums with multiple artists as a bassist, drummer, and songwriter.